Ryan S  
Instruments: Guitar, Drums, Bass Guitar
Styles: Classical, Rock, Blues, R&B, Flamenco, Reggae, New Age, Punk, Avant-garde

I have played in venues from small coffee houses to The Paramount in Huntington, NY.  I have played in many groups and ensembles as a premier performer and, of course, as part of the "tutti".  I have studied under Micheal Bellajonas at Suffolk County Community College and Jerry Willard at Stony Brook University in my classical guitar studies.  I maintain a violin/guitar duet with my wife, who is on her way to becoming a music educator.  I've taught all different types of students and am very open and patient to everyone's needs.

I strongly believe that everyone is very different.  Learning styles and musical goals are very much a part of this.  Some find reading from a book helps them, so for most students I begin by recommending "A Modern Method For Guitar" from the Berklee Press, however for others a book is not as helpful as listening to some music and watching someone play.  I like to introduce as much theory as is desired from the student because theory is a very important part of the musical process, but if the student prefers to get playing first and understand the “why” later then we can work something out in that regard.  Depending on musical interest, we can work with different genre's and pieces to promote specific techniques and practice routines. One of the most important things is to enjoy the process. Twisting an arm to practice or study is not going to facilitate a constructive learning environment.